Huawei Watch 5 arrives with X-Tap health sensor, Fit 4 series also debuts

Huawei introduced its latest wearables at an event in Berlin, Germany. On stage, we saw the arrival of Watch 5, the top-tier smartwatch, as well as Watch Fit 4 and Fit 4 Pro - slim and light wearables with lower price tags.

The Watch 5 comes with an redesigned sensor array called X-Tap. It can provide 9 health readings in just 60 seconds, including the popular and trendy HRV - Heart Rate Variability.

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Huawei Watch 5

Huawei's flagship wearable comes in two sizes - 46 mm with an 1.43" screen and 42 mm with a 1.32" display. The bigger option has three variants with an aerospace-grade titanium case and one with a 316L stainless steel case, while the smaller option offers only stainless steel options.

The company says the vibrant colors of the cases were achieved through advanced color-matching methods that require oxidation adjustmen. Along with the sapphire glass on top of the display, they give the wearable a premium appearance.

Among the key selling points is the sensor on the side. It combines a pressure sensor that detects fingertip pressure intensity with a glass-coated ECG electrode and a fingertip PPG sensor. Huawei says that the small arterial blood flow found on the fingertip provides clearer pulse-wave signals compared to the regular metallic sensor on the bottom key.

There is a feature called Health Glance that, by holding your finger for just 60 seconds on the X-Tap sensor, can measure nine items: average heart rate, heart rate variability, SpO2 (oxygen levels in the blood), skin temperature, stress, ECG, arterial stiffness detection, respiratory overview, and sleep breathing awareness.

The Huawei Watch 5 and the sensor are designed so you can do a quick health check in practically all scenarios - waiting in line, sitting at a red light, or just relaxing at home. The wearable will let you know if there are any irregularities that might need following up with a doctor.

The Watch 5 also brings new gesture controls - you can double slide or double tap your thumb and index fingers to navigate in apps. It sounds like a great feature, but it works only in three scenarios: when an alarm is ringing/vibrating, when a call is incoming, and when music is played through the native player. It also works as a remote camera shutter, but only for Huawei smartphones with EMUI.

Huawei Watch 5 46 mm

The Watch 5 supports eSIM, provided that your carrier has whitelisted it. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and dual battery mode. The Standard Mode enables eSIM, the X-Tap sensor, navigation, and third-party apps.

There is also Ultra-Long Battery Life Mode, which disables all the functions mentioned above but keeps the long-term health tracking features.

Huawei confirmed that switching between modes takes just a few seconds, so a you can quickly change back and forth between the two modes.

Huawei Watch 5 42 mm

Regarding battery life, the Huawei Watch 5 42 mm can be charged in 60 minutes, while the Watch 5 46 mm requires 90 minutes with the magnetic charger.

The wearable also offers over 100 sports modes and connects to EMUI, Android and iOS devices over Bluetooth. Huawei Watch 5 is already available for pre-order at Huawei's own online store, with market launch scheduled for May 26. Here's a price breakdown:

Huawei Watch Fit 4 & Fit 4 Pro

This is the first time Huawei has introduced a Pro version of its Fit lineup. The new version differs in size, weight, design, and even features. The only thing it has in common with the vanilla are the 400 mAh battery and the 1.82" rectangular AMOLED screen.

The Fit 4 is a natural improvement over the Fit 3 series with a new air pressure sensor, sleep breathing awareness, and Huawei's own Sunflower positioning system. It weighs 27 grams (without the strap) and is just 9.5 mm thick, while the screen offers 2000 nits peak brightness.

The Pro is slightly heavier at 30.4 grams, but is 9.3 thick, the thinnest of all Watch Fit devices so far. Its screen peak brightness can reach 3,000 nits, and it brings an ECG sensor in the bottom key. There is also a Titanium Alloy case and a Sapphire Glass on top.

The Fit 4 Pro also adds Diving Mode, Golf Mode, and new features for trail running, including offline contour maps, route tracking navigation and alerts if you take the wrong turn. It comes with the Huawei TruSense System and offers Menstrual Cycle Management and Sleep Breathing Awareness – two features that are not available on the Fit 4 because of the limited capability of its sensors.

Huawei also has different styles of the Fit 4 and Fit 4 Pro - the vanilla has a thinner crown button and a smaller design element on the right-hand side. Thankfully, both versions support dual-band satellite for better positioning accuracy - the watch connects to both L1 and L5 satellites.

Both can be used for running, although the Pro has color maps, powered by Petal Maps, that help with navigation around tall buildings. This is not a new feature for Huawei - the company already implemented it in the Watch GT 4 and Watch GT 5 series, but it finally reached the more design-oriented Fit lineup.

Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro

Both the Fit 4 and Fit 4 Pro are advertised with 7 days of active battery life or 10 days with some of the features turned off. Interestingly, the Pro takes 60 minutes to fill the cell from 0 to 100%, while the vanilla needs 75 minutes.

Huawei Watch Fit 4

The price of the Huawei Watch Fit 4 is £149.99/€169.99, while the Fit 4 Pro costs £249.99/€279.99, with these prices applying to all color options. They are available for pre-order at the Huawei Store, and the official launch is scheduled for May 26.